Linoleum tile or the like



Feb. 11, 1936. E. VELTUNG LINOLEUM TILE OR THE LIKE v Filed Aug. 25, 1953 r" i l/g l rizeg' Vlun Patented Feb. 11, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEl LINOLEUM TILE R THE LIKE Ernest Veltung, New York, N. Y.

Application August 25, 1933, Serial No. 686,841

8 Claims. (Cl. Sli-13) The .invention concerns floor covering of the tile typeand consists in the features and combination of parts hereinafter described and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 isV a perspective view of a tile unit.

Fig. Vla. is a perspective View of a portion of a tile unit Awhich is to lie adjacent the unit of Fig. 1, and assembled into connection, or contact, therewith.

Fig. 2 is a view of portions of adjacent units ready to be assembled.

Fig. 3 is a view like Fig. 2 with the adjacent units in their assembled relation.

Fig. 4 is a detail plan View of portions of adjacent units assembled into contact with `each other.

The tile vunit comprises a frame made up of bars `I set up on edge, spaced apart, and extending 201 parallel with each other; `bars 2 also set up on edgev andwhichare spaced apart a distance equal to the spacing of bars I, said bars 2 being arranged at right angles to the 'bars l and connected therewith. These bars define spaces preferably of rec- 25 tangular form indicated at 3 in which .the tile blocks or .pieces 4 are lodged so as to be flush with the .upper surfaces, or edges, of the frame bars. The tile pieces may be of any suitable material such as rubber, rubber composition, linoleum, or 3o the like. `They rest upon flanges 5 which project into the spaces 3 from about midway of the height of the frame bars, These flanges thus provide narrow ledges for receiving the edge portions of the tile pieces, or blocks, the major portion of 35 the tile being free from contact with any underlying frame part. These flanges are comparatively thin, as shown. AThe structure described provides also space for the reception of Waterproof material at the lower part of the unit. This waterproof material may be of asphaltum, or the like, in the form'of blocks, or thin platelike pieces of substantially the same form and dimensions as the tile pieces, or blocks, above mentioned. This waterproofing material is indicated at 5. It iills that portion of each recess, or pocket, which lies below the intermediate flange 5, and when in place, this material, whatever its particular .form may be, provides a backing for the overlying tileV member, or block, of linoleum, or other material. It prevents the access of moisture to the underside of the tile member.

The frame made up of the cross bars l and 2 is completed by a bar, or strip, 'l extending along each edge of the unit, there being in the present instance four of these bars, or strips. They connect with the ends of the cross bars l, 2, that is to say, two fof such bars, or strips, connect with the bars at the ends thereof, and the other tWo` bars l connect the ends of the bars 2. 'I'hese edge bars in height are only one-half that of the cross bars I and 2. They lie mainly out beyond the ends of said bars, though connected to said ends, and they thus forma ledge, lip, or shoulder, la extending around all sides of the unit, or main frame. This projecting shoulder., or ledge, is adapted to receive asimilar shoulder "laA of a similar bar, or strip, 'l on an adjoining similar unit to make a flush joint.

A part of an adjoining unit is shown in Fig. la. A portion of adjoining units are shown in Fig. 2 ready to Vbe assembled, `and a portion of the adjoining units are shown assembled in Fig. 3.

It will be understood that one half the number of units making up the flooring will be arranged with their shoulders la facing upwardly, as shown at the right .hand unit Fig. 2, and the other half of the units will be inverted so that their shoulders -la will be directed downwardly, as shown by the portion of the unit at the left of Fig. 2, so as to rest on the shoulders V'la of the iirst mentioned set of units when they are completely assembled, as shown in Fig. 3.

In other words, the frames of all the units are alike, but throughout the flooring the adjacent units are reversed in position relative to each other, one unit being turned up-side down in respect to the unit which it adjoins.

The only diierence between the units of the flooring is that one set has the waterproofing layer in the same horizontal plane with the side bars, or strips l, `see Vthe unit at right of Fig. 2, while thev other set of units has the linoleum tiles in the same plane with the side bars, or strips, see the unit at left of Fig. 2, or to express it in another way, in all the frames, whether they be in either inverted position, or in normal position, the linoleum, or other tile pieces, are at the upper part of the unit with their upper faces flush with the upper edges of the frame bars, and the waterproofing material is at the lower part of each frame furnishing a foundation for the linoleum tiling and protecting the same against moisture. This asphaltum, or other waterproofing material, rests on the floor.

I do not limit myself to a unit of square shape. All the frame parts of each unit are united together. I prefer to form them of lead and cast the bars l, 2, flanges 5, and edge strips 1, together as one body. Each frame may contain nine tile blocks, or pieces, or more or less of these pieces may be used, the frame, of course, having a corresponding number of pockets.

The space between the tile and the asphaltum, or waterproofing material, may be filled in with cement, or the asphaltum material may occupy the space in the plane of the flange 5 so that a practically solid body is presented from top to bottom of the unit to sustain the weight.

The tile blocks may be cemented in place.

It will be noticed that the edge, or ledge, strips 1 permanently close the ends of the spaces, or pockets, which are in the same horizontal plane therewith. That is, it closes the outer ends of the adjoining pockets of the frame to which it belongs, and it also closes the edges of the pockets of the adjoining unit, or section, when the units are assembled edge to edge.

The units may be bedded in cement.

It will be seen from the above that all the units are the same as to their frame structure, but as one unit must be reversed in position, i. e., turned up-side down in respect to the adjoining unit, the tiling and waterproofing layers will also be reversed in position relative to the frame members, so that with the relatively reversed units the tile blocks, or tread surface, always will be uppermost.

For replacement purposes, any unit of the iiooring may be removed and a new one substituted therefor.

Where a unit with an upwardly facing ledge lies at the outermost edge of the flooring, i. e., next to the wall, the space above the ledge 1a may be filled in with a lead strip, or other iilling, reaching to the upper surface of the tiling.

I do not limit myself to the shape of the frame, or the shape of the pockets, or spaces, 3 for receiving the tread material, or the waterproofing filling.

The tile forming the tread surface, as well as the filling material on the underside of the unit, provide the desired degree of resilience for use as a flooring. The soft metal of the frame will have substantially the same wearing quality as the tile material.

With the tread material and the waterproofing material united together, and with the flange 5 located between the upper and lower layers of the lling material, or pieces, a unit is provided in which all parts thereof are united so that the unit may be handled, or shipped, as one body without danger of loss of any of the parts thereof.

In order that the tile units may be assembled in close relation, the corners of the unit are cut off at angular faces 1b so that a miter joint contact can be made with adjacent units.

Instead of making the frame of one piece it may be built up from separate strips or bars, and the cross bars which form the cells or pockets may be interlocked with each other by having complementary interengaging notches, those in one bar extending from the upper edge downwardly part way of the depth of the bar, and those of the interlocking bars having their notches reversed, i. e. extending from the lower edges of the bars to about midway of the height thereof.

I claim:

1. A floor covering tile unit comprising a frame made up of frame bars extending at angles to each other and united to provide pockets or spaces for the reception of filling material, marginal bars connecting the frame bars and providing uniform, continuous ledge faces extending outwardly throughout the length of the marginal bars on all sides of the unit substantially midway of the height of the frame bars to uninterruptedly engage and interi-lt with marginal bars of similar adjacent units, said continuous, uninterrupted ledge faces all facing in the same direction substantially perpendicular to the plane of the unit at all points around the unit. 5

2. A floor covering tile unit comprising a frame made up of frame bars extending at angles to each other and united to provide pockets or spaces for the reception of filling material, marginal bars connecting the frame bars and 10 providing uniform, continuous ledge faces extending outwardly throughout the length of the marginal bars on all sides of the unit substantially midway of the height of the frame bars to uninterruptedly engage and intert with marginal 15 bars of similar adjacent units, said continuous, uninterrupted ledge faces all facing in the same direction substantially perpendicular to the plane of the unit at all points around the unit, said frame bars having anges extending from either 20 side thereof substantially midway of their height, providing upper and lower pockets, and said unit having lling material in its pockets and being reversible to intert with an adjacent unit in either normal or reversed position.

3. A floor covering tile unit according to claim 2 in which the said ledge faces of the marginal bars are in a middle plane of the unit which passes through the center of the said flange.

4. A tile floor covering composed of like tile 30 frame units, adjoining frame units being inverted with respect to each other, each of said tile units comprising a frame made up of cross-shaped frame bars extending at angles to each other and united to provide upper and lower pockets or 35 spaces in each unit to receive filling material, and marginal bars connecting the cross-shaped frame bars, said marginal bars each having one-half of a cross-shaped formation and being complementary to the inverted marginal bar on the ad- 60 joining inverted frame unit, said marginal bars comprising a main bar portion and a rib disposed inwardly in respect to the main bar portion, said main bar portion having an outer face perpendicular to the plane of the unit and an ad- 45 joining ledge face lying in middle plane of the unit, said inwardly disposed rib having an outer face forming an exterior reentrant angle with said ledge face, the inner face of said main bar portion forming an interior reentrant angle with 50 the adjacent face of said rib.

5. A pair of like floor covering tile frame units, each made up of cross-shaped frame bars extending at angles to each other and united to provide upper and lower pockets or spaces in each 55 tile frame unit to receive filling material, and marginal bars connecting the cross-shaped frame bars, said marginal bars each being one-half of a cross-shape in formation and being complementary to the marginal bar of the other tile 60 frame unit of said pair when one unit of the said pair is inverted with respect to the other and placed in adjoining relation thereto in the assembly of the floor covering, said complementary marginal bars of the pair of units being thus united to form a cross-shape in section like that of the frame bars, and said united marginal bars meeting on a zigzag line extending from one reentrant angle of the cross to the diagonally opposite reentrant angle of the cross so formed.

6. A pair of tile frame units according to claim 5 in which each of said tile frame units has tread material in one of its pockets and foundation material in the other of its pockets, the said tread 75 material and foundation material being reversed in position in one frame relative to the positions of said material in the other frame, so that when one frame is reversed and assembled with the other frame, the tread material will be uppermost in both frames.

7. A pair of like floor covering tile frame units each made up of cross-shaped frame bars extending at angles to each other and united to provide upper and lower pockets or spaces in each tile frame unit to receive filling material, and marginal bars connecting the cross-shaped frame bars, said marginal bars each being one-half of a cross-shape in formation and being complementary to the marginal bar of the other tile frame unit of said pair when one unit of said pair is inverted with respect to the other and placed in adjoining relation thereto in the assembly of the floor covering, said complementary marginal bars'of the assembled pair of units presenting in section a cross-shape divided on a zig-zag line extending vertically from one reentrant angle of the cross, then transversely through the center of the cross and then vertically to the diagonally opposite reentrant angle of the cross, to provide abutting shoulders.

8. A floor covering tile unit according to claim 1 in which said marginal bars are of less depth than the frame bars.

ERNEST VELTUNG. 

